WMU hockey assistant coach Pat Ferschweiler taking pride in Broncos' resurgence after successful career for the Brown and Gold

Western Michigan assistant coach Pat Ferschweiler (right) talks with former head coach Jeff Blashill during a game in 2010. Ferschweiler played at WMU from 1990-93 and is now in his third year as an assistant coach.MLive file

KALAMAZOO, MI – Most players would agree the trick to getting on assistant coach Pat Ferschweiler’s good side is simple: Show up and work hard.

It’s fun being on the third-year Western Michigan University coach’s good side as he’ll tell a joke or make you laugh another way, but Dane Walters and Luke Witkowski, senior tri-captains, said the line is very fine when it comes to crossing over to his bad side.

Cross that fine line and whether you’re a freshman forward or senior defenseman you can expect a singled-out butt-chewing.

That small neutral area between Ferschweiler being pleased with a player’s effort or displeased is what the Broncos players have come to expect and appreciate from the 41-year-old who was once a team captain for the Brown and Gold and has been a big reason behind the resurgence in the hockey program at WMU.

“He can be hard on guys and he’s demanding, but he gets the most out of guys,” Witkowski said. “He knows the game better than anyone you know. He can watch one clip and tell you what guy did what wrong. He really stresses how big the little things are. Personally, I can contribute the success I’ve had over the past three years to him. He’s helped me take my defensive game to a whole new level.”

Ferschweiler, who scored 95 points in his three-year career at Western Michigan (1990-93) and is the only Bronco to be named the Central Collegiate Hockey Association’s Best Defensive Forward (1991-92), doesn’t like to talk much about his accomplishments on the ice, but the pride in what he did as a player and is doing as a coach is evident when talking to him.

Western Michigan finished the 2009-10 season with an 8-20-8 record and was in the cellar of the CCHA. In his first year behind the bench with new head coach Jeff Blashill and assistant Rob Facca the Broncos finished 19-13-10, played in the CCHA Tournament championship game and nearly won the program’s first-ever NCAA tournament game. Last season WMU was 21-14-6 and won the CCHA Tournament title.

“It makes you proud of the program you came from and the program you’re in right now,” Ferschweiler said. “We’ve done it the right way. We’ve tried to focus on the process, rather than the result. Our guys do that on a daily basis. When we face Michigan or anyone else it’s not like we’re preparing for Michigan, we’re going through the process that we did in practice and what we rehearsed. We don’t see the opponent, we see what we have to do.”

Witkowski said the attitude during his freshman season (2009-10) was to not get embarrassed by teams like Michigan and other top notch programs. Witkowski said there is now a belief in the room that the Broncos can compete and beat the best teams in the country and the coaching staff is a big reason for that.

WMU is 4-3-1 in the last three years against Michigan, which comes to Lawson Arena Friday and Saturday with an 8-14-2 (5-11-2 CCHA) record wearing the underdog title the Broncos wore just four years ago when facing the Wolverines.

Western Michigan assistant coach Pat Ferschweiler played for the Broncos from 1990-93 and recorded 95 career points. He is now in his third year as an assistant coach for WMU.Courtesy WMU Athletic Media Relations

Ferschweiler said Michigan was one of the best teams in the country during his days at WMU, but he said the Broncos always had the belief they could hang with the Wolverines, which is what he is proud to see now.

“We came in with a bit of an approach like, ‘We’re the best team because we’re on it right now,’” Ferschweiler said of playing against UM. “We respected everybody, but didn’t fear anyone. I think that was a good way for us to move forward.”

Under Ferschweiler’s tutelage the Broncos have become a gritty, defense-first team. Entering this weekend, WMU has the third-best defense in the country, allowing an average 1.88 goals per game.

Second-year head coach Andy Murray has known Ferschweiler since the former Bronco’s days of running a junior Triple A hockey program in Kansas City, which became one of the best programs in the country.

Murray said he’s been impressed with Ferschweiler’s work since the first meeting.

“Pat’s an intense individual,” Murray said with a smile. “He’s a very good teacher. He’s very demanding. He does a tremendous job in teaching the skills of the game. I’ve learned from (assistant coach) Rob (Facca) and Pat and assistant coach Bob Caldwell. I hope they’ve learned some things from me, too.”

Facca has known Fersch, as the players call him, since his days as an assistant coach at Northern Michigan when he established recruiting ties with the Triple-A program in Kansas City.

“He brings it every day,” Facca said. “If anyone deserves credit with where our program is at, he deserves a lot of it. Some people can say you can care too much but I don’t think you can. He does everything 100 percent. He doesn’t take any days off. When it’s over he’ll re-evaluate and ask what he can do better and how he can make the team better. He wants everyone to be better every day. I’ve learned a ton from him.”

Ferschweiler graduated from WMU with a Bachelor’s degree in finance in three years so he could embark on a professional hockey career, which lasted 11 years. He spent five years in the now defunct IHL, which was regarded at the time as one of best minor-pro leagues in the country.

Much of what he conveys to the current players derives from his knowledge of making it to the next level and his desire to get players there one day.

“I’ve been blessed with the ability to play at the next level and I know what it takes to get there and be kind of successful there,” Ferschweiler said. “I try to convey that on a regular basis to our players as far as work ethic goes.”

Ferschweiler was rumored to be a candidate for the head coaching job when Blashill left for the Detroit Red Wings. Murray said there was good reason for his name to be considered then and in the future.

“I’m not going to live forever,” Murray said with a laugh. “If he’s prepared to wait 40 years I hope he gets the job here.”